JP2002059092A - Method and apparatus for cleaning - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning method which (1) can save water markedly and can reduce the amount of a detergent to be used or can eliminate the use of the detergent, (2) has a high effect on cleaning complex fouling with strong adhesive force, (3) is economical and simple, and (4) can correspond to HACCP, and an apparatus for the method. SOLUTION: In the cleaning method, water around the fouling 9 adhered to an object S to be cleaned is removed, the fouling 9 is frozen by using water contained in the fouling 9, the temperature of the frozen fouling 9 is changed sharply by hot water W the temperature of which is different from that of the fouling 9, and the fouling 9 is removed from the object S. The cleaning apparatus is composed of a means 1 which sprays air to the object S and removes water around the fouling adhered to the object S, a cooling gas ejection means 4 for drying/freezing the fouling 9, and a hot water-cleaning means 2 which changes the temperature of the dried/frozen fouling 9 sharply and separates/removes the fouling 9 from the object S.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for cleaning dishes, containers, parts and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art One of the most widely used conventional cleaning techniques is jet cleaning of cleaning water. This is to remove the dirt by injecting the washing water from the washing nozzle at high speed to the object to be washed, and is adopted for performing a large amount of washing processing in a short time even at the washing site of tableware and the like and machine parts. I have.

[0003] Other cleaning techniques include ultrasonic cleaning, in which cleaning is performed by the impact force when bubbles generated in the cleaning water are ruptured using ultrasonic waves, and chemical cleaning using a detergent, electrolytic water, or the like. There is technology.

[0004] In recent washing sites, particularly in washing sites such as school lunch sites, dirt is becoming complicated, and economical washing technology, particularly washing technology having a water-saving effect is strongly demanded. In addition, there is a strong demand for a cleaning technique that has a higher cleaning ability due to the introduction of HACCP and that can particularly reduce the amount of detergent used in consideration of the environment.

[0005] However, the above-described spray cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, and chemical cleaning have the following problems. Problems of jet cleaning Spray cleaning can be used to clean a large amount of objects to be cleaned by using it in combination with a conveyor, but cleaning water is continuously jetted from nozzles at high speed. Are easily diverged at the time of jetting, and it is difficult to adjust the directionality of the washing water, and a large amount of washing water is lost, so that a large amount of washing water is required.

[0006] Further, the washing water that has collided with the dirt on the object to be washed rebounds on the washing surface due to its high speed, and forms a water film on the washing surface, thereby preventing the subsequent washing water from entering the washing surface. . For this reason, the removal rate of dirt having a strong adhesive force is reduced, so that a cleaning pretreatment step is provided to allow the dirt to penetrate into the detergent water to reduce the dirt adhesion before cleaning.

That is, the jet cleaning has a problem that a large amount of cleaning water and a detergent are required. Problems of ultrasonic cleaning Ultrasonic cleaning is performed in a water tank and is effective in removing dust and dirt adhered to machine parts, etc., but since the impact force when air bubbles burst is small, adhesive strength There is a problem that it is not so effective in cleaning strong dirt. Problems of Chemical Cleaning Chemical cleaning requires processing after cleaning water cleaning, which increases costs and increases the size of the cleaning apparatus itself.

[0008]

Therefore, according to the present invention, a large amount of water can be saved and the amount of detergent used is reduced, or the use of detergent is not required. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning method and an apparatus which has an effect, is economical and simple, and can cope with HACCP.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems (Invention of Claim 1)
According to the cleaning method of the present invention, after removing the moisture around the dirt attached to the object to be cleaned, the dirt is frozen using the moisture of the dirt, and the frozen dirt has a temperature difference from the frozen dirt. Soil is removed from the object to be cleaned by giving a sudden temperature change by hot water. (The invention according to claim 2) The cleaning method of the present invention is a method for removing highly sticky dirt from the object to be cleaned S, and after removing water around the dirt adhering to the object to be cleaned. The dirt is frozen using the moisture of the dirt, and the frozen dirt is subjected to a rapid temperature change by warm water having a temperature difference from the frozen dirt, thereby separating and removing most of the dirt from the object to be cleaned. In addition, it is intended to remove the dirt from the object to be cleaned by causing water droplet-like hot water having a temperature difference with the frozen portion of the object to be cleaned to collide with the remaining portion of the dirt. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning apparatus for blowing air to remove moisture around dirt adhered to an object to be cleaned, and jetting a cooling gas for drying and freezing the dirt on the object to be cleaned. And hot water cleaning means for applying a rapid temperature change to the dried and frozen dirt of the object to be cleaned to separate and remove the dirt from the object to be cleaned. (Claim 4) The cleaning apparatus according to the present invention comprises a cooling gas jetting means for drying and freezing dirt on the object to be cleaned;
Cleaning means for applying a rapid temperature change to the soil of the dried and frozen object to be separated to remove the soil from the object to be cleaned, wherein the cleaning means is provided with a cleaning hot water supply path and a lower part thereof. And a compressed air supply path disposed in the cleaning hot water supply path, and the supply port of the compressed air supply path faces the hot water falling from the supply port of the cleaning hot water supply path. The incoming hot water is formed into hot water droplets by the jetting power of air from the supply port of the compressed air supply path, and the water droplets collide with the dirt on the object to be cleaned. (The invention according to claim 5) The cleaning apparatus according to the invention relates to the invention according to claim 4 and can remove moisture around dirt adhering to an object to be cleaned by using air from a compressed air supply path. It is like that.

The operation and effect of the above-described cleaning method and apparatus will be clarified in the following embodiments of the present invention.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [Dirty which is difficult to wash and method of removing the dirt] (Stain 9 of cooked rice) FIG. 1 shows the strong adhesion of cooked rice which is most difficult to wash. It is a conceptual diagram of the dirt 9.

[0012] The starch constituting cooked rice is composed of amylose and amylopectin, and its tissue 90 is chain-like and intertwined in a complicated manner. In the case of glutinous rice, there is no amylose, but the tissue is still intertwined in a chain. The dirt 9 of the cooked rice ages due to a decrease in the temperature after eating (β conversion), and the gelatinizing liquid condenses and has a strong adhesive force. This is because the adhesion between the dirt-attached surface (interface) of the cleaning object S and the dirt 9 is strong, and the entire dirt 9 wraps around the interface K. As a result, it is difficult to separate the dirt 9 from the interface K. for that reason,
It is necessary to use a surfactant (detergent) to reduce the adhesion.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram when the dirt 9 is dried and frozen. In other words, this is a case where moisture around the dirt 9 is removed and the dirt 9 is frozen by the moisture of the dirt 9.
Due to this drying and freezing action, the tissue 90 of the stain 9 is drawn into the inside of the tissue, and the state where the tissue 90 has been stretched along the interface K at the time of attachment changes, and the tissue is condensed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, a gap is formed between the interface K and the dirt 9, so that the interface K is easily separated from the interface K. When hot water which gives a rapid change in temperature, for example, hot water of about 60 ° C. to 70 ° C. is poured or dipped into flowing hot water, the hot water instantaneously enters a gap between the dirt 9 and the interface K, and the entire dirt 9 is removed. The dirt 9 is separated from the interface K before melting, and most of the dirt 9 can be separated and removed from the interface K.

However, in the case of starch, as described above,
Since 90 is intricately entangled in multiple layers in a chain, dirt 9
Even if most of the layer can be removed, an extremely thin layer (hereinafter, referred to as a thin layer) remains. This cannot be confirmed visually,
It can be recognized that the color changes to purple if the iodine solution is dropped. Terminating the washing while leaving a thin layer of dirt 9 leads to the proliferation of various bacteria after the washing, which may lead to a serious accident.

[0015] This thin layer of starch has adhesion and fluidity to the interface K, moves in a direction to reduce the impact of hot water impingement, and must be removed by ordinary washing means. Is extremely difficult. Further, as shown in the section of the prior art, in the jet cleaning, since the jetting speed from the nozzle is high, and both the flow rate and the flow rate are large, the preceding cleaning water forms a water film at the interface K, and the subsequent cleaning water has the interface K. It is more difficult to remove the thin layer of the dirt 9 because it prevents entry into the part.

To remove this from the interface K, the continuity of the hot water is cut off, and the hot water repeatedly acts on the dirt to lift the dirt off the interface, separate it, and push it out of the interface K to remove the thin layer. it can.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the action of cleaning the interface K in the embodiment of the present invention. The hot water W hardly has a flow velocity, and the hot water W is divided by compressed air PA, which is a gas having a strong flow (flow velocity and directionality), to form water droplets D, and to collide with the dirt 9. At the interface K, hot water W and compressed air
A layer of PA flow is formed. The hot water W that has turned into water drops is dirty 9
, And is pushed out against the dirt 9 by the compressed air PA flowing below. In other words, the dirt 9 is separated and removed from the interface K as shown in FIG.

The above is a description of a starchy soil 9 having a strong adhesive force.
The following describes the cleaning action of the present invention in the case of dirt with oils and fats which is difficult to be cleaned by cleaning.

(Soil of fats and oils) The fats and oils are composed of a hydrophilic group and a hydrophobic group, and have an adhesive force to an interface and fluidity like a thin soil layer 9 of starch. Washing of oils and fats is usually
In many cases, spray cleaning is performed after immersion in detergent water. However, the function of the spray cleaning is the same as that of the case of the thin starch 9, and the ratio of the action of the detergent is high.

The detergent concentration is 2, 5, 10% and the temperature is 70 ° C.
When the washing material in which vegetable oil or animal oil is adhered to the detergent water set in (1), the hydrophilic group and the hydrophobic group are separated, and the hydrophilic group floats on the water surface as bubbles (emulsifying action). The greater the number of air bubbles that emerged, the higher the cleaning effect. According to the experiments conducted by the applicant, the generation of air bubbles became active in about 5 minutes after the detergent was applied, and the saturation state was reached after 8 minutes. became. Ten minutes later, when taken out and examined for the state of the interface, the interface was found to be slimy. However, it was difficult to confirm it visually, and when the dye solution was dropped and lightly washed with water, almost the entire surface turned pale red. This is thought to be due to the formation of a thin layer of oil centered on the hydrophobic group.

The washed sample to which the vegetable oil and the animal oil were adhered was dried and frozen by the washing method of the present invention, and was then immersed in warm water at 70 ° C. without the above-mentioned detergent. The emulsification is almost over and the number of bubbles is
We observed much more than in the previous experiment. It was also found that the red discoloration area at the interface was smaller than the above. This is because, as in the case of the starch described above, the structure of the oils and fats is condensed by the freezing action, and the moisture of the hydrophilic group is frozen, so that the hydrophilic group wraps around the hydrophobic group and condenses, and is generated between the interface and the interface. It is considered that this is because warm water intrudes into the gap and tries to float up from the interface.

The washing method for removing the thin layer remaining on the interface from the interface is the same as in the case of the aforementioned starch.

As described above, the cleaning method of the present invention effectively acts on starch, oils and fats, etc., which are most difficult due to cleaning.
For example, it can be determined that it effectively acts on sugar and protein stains.

[0024] Therefore, if the property of the soil is relatively weak in tackiness, etc., if the temperature is suddenly changed by hot water after drying and freezing, the entire soil is separated from the interface, and a thin layer of the soil remains. And a cleaning effect can be achieved. In addition, in the case of highly sticky stains or the like in which the entire stain is not separated from the interface even when a sudden temperature change is caused by drying and freezing, a temperature difference from this is applied to a thin layer of the stain on the frozen object to be washed. Dirt may be removed from the object to be cleaned by colliding hot water in the form of water drops.

As described above, the reason for removing the moisture around the dirt and then drying and freezing the dirt with the moisture of the dirt is that if there is moisture around the dirt, the dirt wraps around the dirt. This is because there is no gap with the interface, and no condensed tissue is condensed.
When the dirt condenses, the germs that originally existed around the dirt are also attracted and become immobile, which is also effective in terms of microbial control. [Specific cleaning apparatus employing the above-described cleaning method] (Basic configuration of cleaning apparatus) The cleaning apparatus of this embodiment is
As shown in FIG. 4, the cooling gas jetting means 4 for drying and freezing the dirt 9 of the object S to be cleaned and the dry object S by applying a rapid temperature change to the dirt 9 of the object S to be dried and frozen. And a cleaning means CS for separating and removing dirt 9 from the water. As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning means CS includes a cleaning hot water supply path 2 and a compressed air supply path 1 disposed therebelow.
The supply port 10 of the compressed air supply path 1 faces the hot water dropping from the supply port 20 of the compressed hot air supply path 1 from the supply port 10 of the compressed air supply path 1. The water is formed into hot water droplets by the jet power of air.

In the cleaning apparatus of this embodiment, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a deodorizing detergent supply path 3 is connected to the cleaning hot water supply path 2 while the compressed air supply path 1
The compressed air from is also used to remove moisture around the dirt 9 attached to the article S to be cleaned.

The compressed air supply path 1 supplies compressed air set to a maximum pressure of 50 to 60 N / cm ² within a range used in a normal production site. As shown in FIG. A pressure regulating valve 11 and an on-off valve 12 are provided in the path. Note that a general-purpose compressor can be used as a supply source of the compressed air.

The cleaning hot water supply path 2 does not supply the cleaning water having the strong flow velocity and the injection pressure seen in the normal spray cleaning, but the cleaning water flows slowly in the path and drops from the supply port 20. It supplies water. As shown in FIG. 4, a flow regulating valve 21 and an opening / closing valve 22 are provided in the cleaning hot water supply path 2 so that the flow rate of the hot water can be freely changed by the flow regulating valve 21. Has become.

As shown in FIG. 8, the supply port 20 of the cleaning hot water supply path 2 protrudes from the supply port 10 of the compressed air supply path 1 by about 15 to 20 mm. Water droplets D having power can be guided to the stain 9. Also, by adjusting the flow control valve 21,
When the amount of hot water supplied from the supply port 20 is increased, the size of the water droplets D becomes large, and when the amount of hot water supplied is reduced, the size of the water droplets D becomes small, and the thin layer 9b of the dirt 9 is removed stepwise. It is possible to do. In other words, the washing steps of pre-washing, main washing, and finishing washing can be performed by adjusting the supply amount of hot water and changing the size of the droplets of the water droplets D, and effective washing according to the quality of the stain 9 can be achieved. Will be possible. The deodorant detergent supply path 3 is for flowing a neutral liquid detergent into the cleaning hot water supply path 2, and an opening / closing valve 32 is provided in the path.

The cooling gas jetting means 4 is constituted by using a cylinder for spraying vaporized dry ice onto the dirt 9 of the cleaning object S to freeze it. In addition, a cold / hot storage for storing and freezing the object to be cleaned, a freezer for blowing compressed cooling air, or the like may be used.

(How to Use the Cleaning Apparatus) When the cleaning apparatus is used to remove the dirt 9 of the starch or oil and fat which is difficult to clean and adhere to the object S to be cleaned, the following steps are followed. Removal of water around the dirt 9 The pressure of the air ejected from the compressed air supply path 1 is reduced by the pressure regulating valve 11 and the object S to be cleaned is compressed by the compressed air from the compressed air supply path 1 as shown in FIG. The moisture around the dirt 9 adhered to is removed. Drying / freezing of the dirt 9 Cooling air is blown from the cooling gas jetting means 4 toward the dirt 9 of the cleaning target S as shown in FIG. By this step, the dirt 9 is frozen by the water contained therein and changes from the state shown in FIG. 1 to the state shown in FIG. 2 as described above, and becomes easily separated from the interface K. Separation and removal of dirt 9 As shown in FIG. 7, the on-off valve 22 is opened, and the interface between the dried and frozen dirt 9 and the interface K from the supply port 20 of the cleaning hot water supply path 2.
And warm water W is poured into the gap between them. Then, the warm water W separates the dirt 9 from the interface K before dissolving the entire dirt 9, and separates and removes most of the dirt 9 from the interface K. However, in this state, the thin layer 9b of the starch and the oil or fat is
And has not been thoroughly cleaned. Complete removal of dirt 9 (removal of thin layer 9b) Air pressure is set to 50 to 60 N / mm ² by pressure regulating valve 11 provided in compressed air supply path 1, opening and closing valve 12 is opened, and provided in cleaning hot water supply path 2 The open / close valve 22 is opened. Then, FIG.
As shown in (1), the hot water W dropped from the supply port 20 of the cleaning hot water supply path 2 is divided by the compressed air AP into water droplets D, pushed out by the compressed air AP in the state of the water droplets D, and collides with the thin layer 9b. . Therefore, the thin layer 9b of the dirt 9 is separated from the object S to be cleaned and pushed out of the object S to be cleaned. Compressed air AP
Since water has a strong flow direction, the water droplets D can be effectively guided to the thin layer 9b without diverging, so that the usage amount of the hot water W can also be saved. Others The above is a process for removing the dirt 9 of starch and oil and fat. If the dirt 9 can be removed relatively easily, the step of the column for completely removing the dirt 9 is eliminated. be able to.

In the case where it is necessary to remove the odor due to the entanglement of the dirt 9 with the sauce, starch, vegetable juice, oil, etc., in the columns of separation and removal of the dirt 9 and complete removal of the dirt 9,
The on-off valve 32 provided in the deodorant detergent supply path 3 may be opened to mix with the hot water flowing in the cleaning hot water supply path 2.

(Another Embodiment of Cleaning Apparatus) In the cleaning apparatus of the above embodiment, if the piping of the compressed air supply path 1 is heated by an electric heater or the like to generate compressed hot air, instantaneous cleaning after cleaning is achieved. Drain and dry metal parts to prevent rust.

In the cleaning apparatus of the above embodiment, when a wide cleaning area is provided, as shown in FIG.
The plurality of compressed air supply paths 1 may be arranged below the wide cleaning hot water supply path 2.

The cleaning device according to the above-described embodiment is for removing the dirt 9 which is difficult to clean, such as starch and oil, but it is a cleaning device for removing only the dirt 9 which is not difficult to clean, that is, the cleaning means. The CS may include only the cleaning hot water supply path 2. If the cleaning device is such a cleaning device for removing only the dirt 9 that is not difficult to clean, the cleaning means CS may be a running water pool containing warm water, and the freeze-dried dirt may be immersed in the running water pool. Good. [Operations and effects of the above-described cleaning method and apparatus] The cleaning methods and apparatuses have been described above. It is apparent that these cleaning methods and apparatuses have the following operations and effects.

By drying and freezing the dirt using the water content of the dirt 9, for example, in the case of dishwashing, the contamination of microorganisms such as soil bacteria can be prevented before use and before washing. It is possible to realize a sanitary cleaning technique that can be prevented and can be applied to HACCP.

By drying and freezing the dirt 9,
A crack gap is formed at the interface K between the dirt and the object S to be cleaned, and a sharp temperature change is applied to the crack gap, so that the dirt 9 is removed from the interface K.
Therefore, the same effect as the surfactant effect of the detergent can be exhibited, and the amount of the detergent used can be reduced or the detergent is not required.

Washing hot water supply path 2 and compressed air supply path 1
Washing by changing the warm water W into water droplets D, and the compressed air promotes the collision force and the pressing force of the water droplets D, so that the water droplets effectively work even on the dirt of the thin adhesive layer 9b. As a result, cleaning with a high cleaning effect can be realized.

Further, by adjusting the supply amount of the hot water W, the size of the water droplet changes, and effective cleaning can be performed by the assisting action of the compressed air, so that the amount of the cleaning hot water used can be greatly reduced.

Further, the cleaning method and the cleaning apparatus are very simple, but have excellent cleaning ability.

[0041]

The present invention has the following effects since it has the above-described configuration.

As is clear from the contents described in the section of the embodiment of the present invention, a large amount of water can be saved and the amount of the detergent used is reduced or the use of the detergent is not required. It also has a high effect on cleaning,
A cleaning method and apparatus that are economical and simple and that can support HACCP can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of rice rice stains that are difficult to clean.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram when the dirt is dried and frozen.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which dirt is removed by the cleaning method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a cleaning device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state in which moisture around dirt attached to an object to be cleaned is removed by a compressed air supply path of the cleaning device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state in which dirt on an object to be cleaned is dried and frozen by cooling gas blowing means of the cleaning apparatus.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a state in which hot water is supplied to a gap between a stain on a frozen object to be cleaned and an interface.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a thin layer of dirt is made to collide with a droplet of warm water to remove the thin layer.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of another embodiment of the cleaning means of the cleaning apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Compressed air supply path 2 Cleaning hot water supply path 3 Deodorant detergent supply path 4 Cooling gas jetting means CS Cleaning means 10 Supply port 11 Pressure control valve 12 Open / close valve 20 Supply port 21 Flow rate control valve 22 Open / close valve 32 Open / close valve 9 Dirt 9b Thin Layer 90 Tissue K Interface S Object to be cleaned

Claims (5)

[Claims] After removing moisture around dirt adhering to an object to be cleaned, the dirt is frozen using the moisture of the dirt and hot water having a temperature difference from the frozen dirt. A cleaning method characterized by removing a stain from the object to be cleaned by giving a sharp temperature change to the object. 2. A method for removing highly adherent dirt from an object to be cleaned S, wherein the dirt attached to the object to be cleaned is removed and then the dirt is removed by utilizing the moisture of the dirt. Freezing, the frozen soil is subjected to a rapid temperature change with hot water having a temperature difference from the frozen soil to separate and remove most of the soil from the object to be washed, and thereafter, the soil of the frozen object to be washed is removed. A cleaning method comprising removing contaminants from an object to be cleaned by causing hot water in the form of water droplets having a temperature difference from the remaining portion to collide with the remaining portion. 3. A means for spraying air to remove moisture around dirt attached to an object to be cleaned, a cooling gas jetting means for drying and freezing dirt on the object to be cleaned, A cleaning apparatus comprising a hot water cleaning means for giving a rapid change in temperature to dirt to separate and remove dirt from an object to be cleaned. 4. A cooling gas jetting means for drying and freezing the dirt on the object to be cleaned, and a means for separating and removing the dirt from the object to be cleaned by giving a rapid temperature change to the dirt on the dried and frozen object to be cleaned. Cleaning means, wherein the cleaning means comprises a cleaning hot water supply path and a compressed air supply path arranged below the cleaning hot water supply path, and before the hot water falling from a supply port of the cleaning hot water supply path. The supply port of the compressed air supply path is made to face, and the hot water falling from the supply port of the cleaning hot water supply path is formed into water droplets of hot water by the jet power of the air from the supply port of the compressed air supply path, and the water drop is formed. The cleaning device is adapted to collide with the dirt of the object to be cleaned. 5. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein water around the dirt attached to the object to be cleaned can be removed by using air from a compressed air supply path.